With the scouts in the stands for this May 1983 game looking at an opposing player, the Berkshire School's John Posey went out and gave them something else to look at: He struck out 16 batters in the win, The Berskhire Eagle wrote.
Posey also showed off what The Eagle called his most effective weapon, his curveball.
"I've been working on that one for awhile," Posey told The Eagle. "Anybody can jump on your fastball if you keep coming with it."
If the scouts took notice of Posey that game or later, he got enough attention to turn pro three years later - as a second-round pick. It also came as a catcher, rather than as a pitcher. His pro career ended up lasting five seasons. He made it as high as AAA, but he never saw the majors.
Posey's career began in 1986, taken by the Orioles 44th overall out of Campbell University in North Carolina.
Posey's selection meant he joined his brother Bob in the pro ranks. They even played together at short-season Newark in 1986. Bob Posey's career lasted three seasons. He made single-A.
John Posey made the move to catching his last year in college. He went on to hit .405, with 17 home runs in his new role, The Eagle wrote.
"I had been bugging the coach to let me catch," Posey told The Eagle after his selection. "I caught some in high school when I wasn't pithing. A lot of scouts told me that catching is what made me worth a lot more."
Posey started with the Orioles at short-season Newark. He hit .261 in 75 games. He then saw single-A Hagerstown in 1987, then AA Charlotte in 1988. He hit .206 in 88 games at Charlotte.
Posey got brief looks at AA Hagerstown and at AAA Rochester in early 1989, then got traded to the Phillies by June. He then saw AA Reading and a short stint at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
That August, he hit a two-run home run off his former team, Rochester, and off of future major league star Curt Schilling.
"It's fun playing against guys you know," Posey told The Scranton Times-Tribune afterward." At Reading, I hit Hagerstown real well. I went 3-for-3 against them in one game."
Posey then played 1990 between Reading and high-A Winston-Salem and AA Charlotte with the Cubs. He saw 58 total games on the year and hit .229 to end his career.
- Berkshire Eagle, May 7, 1983: Posey fans 16 as Berkshire upends ace Nieves
- Berkshire Eagle, June 3, 1986: Orioles draft Posey in second round
- Scranton Times-Tribune, Aug. 30, 1986: Posey's Homer Not a Nice Gift to Former Teammate
Players/Coaches Featured:3,588
Made the Majors:1,244-34.7%
Never Made Majors:2,344-65.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:517
10+ Seasons in the Minors:305
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